


mismatched

by angelsprunch



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, Death, F/M, Funerals, Kissing, M/M, OT7, Self Harm, Soulmate AU, actually i love making stan sad, but basically it's an ot7, car crash, i love making stozier sad, ok i updated this, there are too many ships to tag, there's going to be a lot of angst tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-28 05:34:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12599324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsprunch/pseuds/angelsprunch
Summary: everyone has a soulmark. something to lead you to your soulmate. the losers are trying to figure out theirs and understand what it means. it only gets more complicated the more they look into it, though.





	1. who'd have known?

**Author's Note:**

> this is just to introduce the story, but i want to turn this into a series so please let me know what you think !!

At some point in your life, you would notice a mark on your body. That mark would be identical to that of your soulmate. It tended to be explained to children very early on so that they could start looking for their mark with excitement. It also helped children to avoid ending up with the wrong person as they tended to wait until they found their other half, for lack of a better word. This wasn’t the case for Stanley Uris. He didn’t buy into anyone completing him as he believed that he was whole on his own. Someone else being his missing piece sounded like garbage and anyone who ended up with Stan would know that they added to his life, but he would be able to survive without them.

 

While Richie Tozier believed in soulmates and was often checking his body for a mark that would lead him in the direction of his soulmate. There was no telling when or where it would show up, but while he waited Richie had short flings until other people got their marks. While he insisted it was only fun, the boy couldn’t help but wish that everyone he was with would end up being his other half. As much as the boy wanted to believe that no one would complete his life, it always felt empty. His parents marks didn’t match, but Richie didn’t have to know that to know that they weren’t meant for each other. He only hoped that one day he would find someone to fill the void that his parents left.

 

When Stan and Richie met, it was an instant click. As much as Stan gave Richie shit, he wouldn’t ask for a different best friend. He was supportive of all of his friend’s relationships, but Stan always felt a pang of jealousy when Richie was walking around their school carrying a different girl’s books. It would never be admitted, but Stan also always felt a tad bit jealous when he saw how close Richie and Eddie were. At night, Stan would blame himself for pushing Richie away but when they were together again he wouldn’t change his behavior. It took a few years, but Bill eventually commented on Stan’s behavior. 

 

“You’re always staring at R-Richie.”

 

“He’s always doing dumb shit.”

 

“It’s a d-different kind of stare.”

 

“There’s only one kind of stare, Bill.”

 

“I think y-you’re jealous.”

 

“Of what? His awful sense of humor?”

 

“Of E-eddie.”

Stan stiffened, but scoffed. “Why would I be jealous of Eddie?”

 

“He g-gets almost all of R-richie’s attention.”

 

The pair fell into a silence now as Richie looped an arm around Eddie. They couldn’t hear what the others were saying, but they could see Eddie trying to get away from Richie’s touch only to be jabbed in the sides by the taller boy. Stan wondered why he would be jealous of that, but he also wondered why he was watching with such intensity. Huffing, he looked away and trained his eyes on the trees in search of a bird. Even if he did like Richie, there was a mark on his hip that he hadn’t seen anywhere on the other boy. Not that Stan bought into any of the soulmate stuff that his teachers and his friends talked about, but he knew that the others did. He had yet to even tell them that his mark had appeared.

* * *

 

“Eds! I know you love me!”

 

“Fuck off, Richie. I’m trying to study.”

 

“Oh, please. I’m way more interesting than whatever it is you’re studying.”

 

“You’re not worth the failing grade, even if you were more interesting.”

 

Richie huffed and rested his chin in his hands. His own textbook was open before him--- Eddie had opened it to the proper page, but Richie hadn’t so much as glanced at it. Instead he trained his gaze to a curly haired boy behind Eddie. Stan had left the pair almost immediately when Eddie had mentioned studying with Stan and Richie insisted that he come along. The boy was silent for a few moments before he got up, abandoning his textbook and his backpack so he could go sit beside Stan. 

 

Before Richie even opened his mouth, Stan knew that the boy was coming his way. He heard the boy’s footsteps coming his way and closed his textbook with a sigh. Even if he wanted to pretend that he was more interested in studying, Stan knew that Richie wouldn’t let it fly. “What do you want, trashmouth?” he asked, watching as long legs clambered into the seat beside him. Richie’s hand reached out for Stan’s curls and the boy swatted it away. “Ouch! I just want to know how your hair looks so amazing all the time. Also, why does it look like noodles?” There’s an eyeroll and Stan turns to go back to his textbook only to have it swiped away from his fingers. “Richie, I swear--” he gets cut off by Eddie loudly shushing the pair.

 

Silenced, Richie and Stan exchange a look before Stan glances over his shoulder to see Eddie flipping through his own textbook. Bringing a finger to his lips, Stan grabs his backpack and quietly slings it over his shoulder. Richie gets the memo and tucks the textbook under his arm, ready to follow Stan’s lead. The pair leaves quietly with Richie’s books still strewn across the table in front of Eddie. As they walk down the hallway, Richie is eyeing the empty classrooms before he spots one that he knows is always unlocked.  Nimble fingers wrap around Stan’s wrist and tug the boy into the classroom before he can yank his arm away. It’s a chilly classroom because one window is stuck open and there’s a lingering smell of cigarette smoke. No classes ever seem to be in this room so Richie and Beverly frequent it to smoke when they don’t feel like going outside. 

 

The smell hits Stan before he’s fully in the room and he crinkles his nose, but doesn’t comment. Richie had to of known about the smell or even been the cause so it was pointless to mention it. Instead he sets his backpack on one of the desks and slides into a chair. Richie moves the backpack before Stan is even fully in the seat to sit on the desk. The taller boy studies Stan for a few moments before he fishes a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. “No.” Stan states, snatching the pack from Richie’s hands and giving the boy a look. He opens his mouth to protest, but Stan shakes his head. “I’m not going home smelling like smoke. I hate trying to get it out of my clothes. It makes me feel dirty.” he explains, tucking the pack between his thighs as he stares up at his friend.

 

Richie glances at the pack before a blush rises to his cheeks and he brings his eyes back to Stan. “Are you saying that I smell dirty?” he challenges, shifting on the desk so his full body is facing the other with one knee bent upon the desk and the other leg hanging off the edge. “You are dirty. It’s more than just the smell.” Stan counters with a smirk. There’s nowhere for him to put his hands on the desk without touching Richie so Stan decides to rest one hand on Richie’s thigh and the other on his knee. There’s a pout on the taller boy’s features, but it eases up under Stan’s touch. “You wouldn’t be touching me if you really thought I was dirty. I think you’re a liar.”

 

Stan moved to flinch away from the other, but Richie was quick to cover Stan’s hands with his own. There was a look of dangerous determination on Richie’s face and part of it scared Stan. Whenever the other seemed this set on doing something it usually worked out in his favor. Last time Stan was alone with Richie and saw that face he was talked into sitting through a horror movie marathon with him. Stan hated horror movies. “What are yo---” he was cut off by Richie leaning in to kiss him. It was far more gentle than he expected Richie to be, but as gentle as he had hoped it could be. Richie’s hands had moved from Stan’s to cup his face and he took the opportunity to grab the front of Richie’s shirt to pull him closer. When they pulled away from each other Richie was in Stan’s lap with an amused smirk on his face. Stan wanted to kiss Richie again so he would lose the smile, but he abstained. 

 

“Why the hell did you do that?”

“Well, you wouldn’t have kept kissing me if you really thought I was dirty.”

 

“I can still kiss you if I think you’re dirty. Hell, I think you’re dirty and I like you.”

 

“The Stanley Uris likes little ole me? What have I done to earn that pleasure?”

 

Rather than answering, Stan pulled Richie in for another kiss. It was surprising to the dark haired boy, but he complied. As he wrapped his arms around the other, Richie wondered if this was fate. He had had a crush on Stan for quite a while, but he never saw it working out. Something told Richie that the other boy would never feel the same way. Instead of pining after Stan, Richie had thrown himself into the Derry dating scene. He hardly made it past kissing with most of the people he met, but Richie was desperate to find someone with a soulmark so that he could see if he had a matching one. Instead, Richie came up empty. He didn’t know if he even had one yet. It was all so dark for the boy. 

 

“You’re distracted.” Stan’s voice broke Richie’s thoughts and the two looked at each other before Richie attempted to brush it off. “Just thinking about you, Stanny boy.”


	2. break my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> richie is looking for a soulmark, stan is contradicting himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think !! please send in song recs @ dadsharrington on tumblr so i can still write oneshots

“Richie, you’re crushing me. I swear I’m going to push you off this bed and laugh when you hit your head.”

 

“Now that’s just cruel.”

 

The dark haired boy did move off of Stan a little. He gave Richie a look, but Richie didn’t move anymore. It seemed like Richie was growing so fast that nothing could keep up with him and sadly Stan’s bed happened to be one of the things left in the dust. The bed was pushed up against the wall and Richie was currently half against the wall and half on top of Stan while the other boy laid on his back in the twin size bed. There was no way Richie would sleep with him during a sleepover, Stan decided.

 

Shifting on the bed, Stan moved to his side to allow Richie more room that was quickly occupied by gangly limbs. However, instead of just filling the room to lay more comfortable, Richie took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Stan and pull him on top of him. “This is better, yeah?” he asked as he settled his hands on Stan’s hips. A small blush rose on Stan’s cheeks and he simply laid his head down without answering. 

 

It had been about a month since the two kissed and whenever they were alone it seemed like that was all they did. Neither seemed to mind it and neither boy seemed to be rushing to put a label on what they were doing. Although, Stan had noticed that Richie was now walking him to classes instead of random girls. It hadn’t been something that Stan thought much about, but if he did actually sit down with it then he would have realized that he didn’t really mind being the person that got most of Richie’s attention. In fact, he didn’t find himself staring much anymore when Richie was with Eddie because Richie walked him home afterwards and Richie stayed at his house. 

 

This was one of those times. Their backpacks lay abandoned in the corner of Stan’s room and while Stan complained that he needed to do his homework he made no moves to get out of Richie’s grasp. He hadn’t mentally set aside time to do his homework for another twenty minutes, so Stan had time before he had to actually get up and shoo Richie away. Arms tightened around Stan and he was pulled from his thoughts as he was reminded of the boy beneath him. With a small smile the boy leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Richie’s lips. Stan moved to deepen the kiss, but Richie pulled away to look Stan over. A pout settled on his lips as he stared back at Richie, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he waited for the other boy to speak, clearly something was on his mind.

 

“Do you have a soulmark yet?”

 

“Does it matter?”

 

He didn’t want to lie, but Stan knew what Richie thought about soulmates. He knew that Richie was searching for someone to complete his life and as badly as Stan wanted to be a part of Richie’s life in that way, he couldn’t complete Richie’s life. Stan wanted Richie to complete his own life, not search for someone else to make it worthwhile. A frown settled on Richie’s lips and he played with Stan’s curls. Typically he would swat away the other’s hand, but it was clear that there was something important going through Richie’s mind. 

 

“I want to find my soulmate and I’m really hoping it’s you.” Richie confessed after a long silence. Stan didn’t push, instead he had rested his head on Richie’s chest and listened to his heartbeat while he waited. It wasn’t what Stan was expecting to hear, but it was still a nice thing for Richie to admit. Neither of them talked much about how they felt about each other. They seemed to just know that they cared deeply for each other in a much different way than they cared for the other losers.

 

“Well, do you have your soulmark yet?”

 

Richie huffed and turned his face away from Stan’s. The boy could hear Richie’s heartbeat speed up and he guessed that it was the wrong question to ask.  Richie had yet to develop a soulmark, but almost everyone he knew had gotten one. As far as he knew, it was everyone except for Stan. It made him worry that maybe he didn’t have a soulmate, maybe he was destined to be alone. The thought was too much for Richie to handle so he tried to date people who had yet to find their soulmate. Their mark would stand out to Richie and he’d go to bed feeling empty knowing that the person he was spending his time with would move on to the person they were meant to be with soon enough.

 

The silence was growing to be too heavy for Stan, so he lifted his head and poked at Richie’s sides. “Are you trying to get me to undress you in an attempt to find it?” he teased, tugging at the edge of Richie’s shirt. Richie’s hands went over Stan’s and despite the sad look on his face, there was a smirk present. “You wouldn’t want to mess up your sheets with what we did after.” Richie shot back, wiggling his eyebrows. Stan rolled his eyes and moved up to kiss Richie. “Who said we’d do anything after I looked for your soulmark?” he mumbled when he pulled away. The boys shared a look before they started laughing and Stan moved to climb off of Richie.

 

“I don’t buy into that soulmate stuff anyway. I don’t think it’s important to find someone to complete you.”

 

“You don’t want to be with someone who you know is supposed to be with you?”

 

“I don’t think the universe is that generous.”

 

“I think the universe would give us at least that.”

 

“Do you think the universe would make you match me?”

 

“I hope so.”

 

* * *

 

 

Ever since Stan and Richie put an official title on what they were, Stan went through great precaution to make sure that Richie never saw his soulmark. It was a bird etched into his hip as if it was a scar. He had seen who matched his mark, but Stan wasn’t interested in being with that person. Richie was the person who made him happy and turned his insides all mushy, as prepubescent as that sounded. The person that matched with him just didn’t seem to be the right match which only added to Stan’s skepticism of soulmates.

 

Richie, on the other hand, would be eyeing Stan up and down every chance he got to try and find Stan’s soulmark. If Stan didn’t have one then maybe it would appear soon and Richie’s would, too. Hopefully, their soulmarks would appear the same day and they’d match. They hadn’t said those words yet, but Richie knew he was in love with Stan. Or, at least he thought he was. He had had feelings for the brunet for quite some time and when he found out that they were reciprocated he fully fell head over heels. In his attempts to try and see Stan’s body, he had also pushed for some sexual situations that Stan was quick to shut down.

 

It wasn’t that Stan didn’t want to go past kissing with Richie, he was just scared of how Richie would react when he saw Stan’s mark. Would he be upset? Would he leave Stan? Stan often wondered if it was ridiculous to be so attached to a boy when he was so adamant about soulmates not being real. Perhaps he was contradicting himself, but he never thought about it enough to come up with an answer for himself. 

 

Richie didn’t complete Stan, it was far from that. There were still plenty of things that Stan struggled with and plenty of things that Richie didn’t help with in Stan’s life. Richie was far from the perfect advocate for birdwatching so Richie never came along. Instead, Bill or Ben would tag along. They would listen and watch quietly, listening intently as Stan pointed out birds. Ben would often sit with Stan’s bird book and try to identify some on his own. Occasionally Beverly would come, but her smoking irritated Stan so he didn’t always tell her when he was going. This also brought up another problem for the couple. Richie’s smoking was irritating for Stan, but he never commented on it because he knew that Richie would stop right away. 

 

Stan didn’t want to be responsible for Richie going through nicotine withdrawal. He also didn’t want to be responsible for Richie’s broken heart, yet he continued this relationship. 


	3. i will wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> richie gets his soulmark, but it isn't who he was hoping for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to have each character play an important role in this story so this chapter is very bill and richie centric! with some minor interactions from the other losers! there’s also some georgie content! let me know what you think.

 

George had had his soulmark since he started preschool. He came home excitedly to tell Bill about it and Bill revealed his to his younger brother when Georgie shared the news. There was a little boy in his class that had the same mark as Georgie so Bill explained what that meant to his younger brother. It wasn’t something that Georgie fully understood or got the chance to. Before he was old enough to understand what a soulmate really was, Georgie disappeared. Bill held on to hope that one day he’d find his brother and he swore that he’d explain anything Georgie wanted to understand to him. 

Instead, Bill found a clown that was responsible for the disappearance of his brother.

At Georgie’s funeral the crayon etched into the back of his hand, right near his thumb, stood out to Bill like a glaring neon sign. He had only ever heard Georgie talk about the person with his matching soulmark. It was usually stories about how they shared their lunches or took turns pushing each other on the swings. It was so precious that Bill often looked forward to hearing his little brother’s stories and would always brighten his day. While Bill had yet to find his soulmate, he loved to hear about Georgie and his. Even if Georgie still believed that it meant they’d be best friends forever, it was too cute for Bill to correct.

Georgie’s friend was at the funeral, though. Bill spotted him by the matching mark on his hand. After the casket was buried, the boy lingered at the grave with Bill. When the boy saw Bill lingering he had walked over to look up at Georgie’s big brother. His eyes were full of tears and he reached out to grab his hand. It wasn’t something that he was expecting and the small touch brought a fresh set of tears to his eyes. The mark on his hand was now a bright red, a forever reminder of Georgie.

“Are you Georgie’s big brother?”

“Y-yeah.”

“He always talked about you.”

“H-he did?”

“Yeah. I miss him. He always brought an extra sandwich because I forgot mine.”

“He is--- w-was a good kid.”

* * *

 

Now Bill searched for soulmarks in all of his friends. Even though Georgie died before he could fully understand the weight of a soulmark, he died having found the person meant for him. He wanted to help his friends find their soulmates so maybe they could be as happy as Georgie once was. It was arguable that Bill paid closer attention to soulmarks than Stan did. There was a reason for all of this, though, unlike Stan who simply watched. Bill knew that Eddie had yet to find his soulmark and that Richie was still trying to find his. This lead Bill to his own conclusions, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

When they went swimming at the quarry, Bill seemed to be the only one who noticed the bird on Stan’s hip. It was usually hidden by the waistband of his underwear, but he still managed to catch sight of it a few times. Ben had the same bird in the same spot, but he didn’t seem to take as much care in hiding it. Bill assumed that it was because Ben thought that the universe got his soulmate wrong. It was no secret that he was holding out for Beverly who had a cigarette on her collarbone. She seemed to take this as a sign of her being her own soulmate and spouted it off with pride, but Bill could see a sadness behind her eyes when she talked about it.

It was several months after Richie and Stan started to date that Bill noticed a mark starting to show up on Richie’s collarbone. It was beneath a poorly hidden hickey on Richie’s collarbone. They were watching movies and Stan had gotten up to go get more popcorn with Beverly following. Eddie had excused himself to the bathroom which left Bill with Richie, Ben, and Mike. He scooted closer to Richie and tried to get a better look at the mark but the other boy was too busy moving about as he explained how he already knew the ending to the book. Ben was warning him not to spoil it for anyone, but Richie didn’t seem to care much.

“Hey, Rich. D-do you want a cigarette b-before we hit play on the m-movie? You know we w-won’t pause it again unless we r-run out of popcorn.”

“I think I’ll be good, Big Bill. Anyway---”

Bill cut him off by grabbing a hand that was dangerously close to his face. The look that Bill gave Richie seemed to silence him so he tugged the other boy up from the ground and led him out the front door. Once they were outside and away from everyone else, Richie gave Bill a confused look that the boy completely missed as he tugged at the collar of Richie’s shirt to get a better view on the mark that he thought he saw.

“Bill! What are you doing? If you wanted me so badly, you should really talk to Stan about a threesome. He’s the one you hav---”

Richie was cut off once more when he felt Bill’s fingers graze the mark. He tried to look at what Bill was inspecting but the angle was awkward and he couldn’t see past Bill’s hand. After a moment, Bill pulled away and held out his hand for Richie to hand him a cigarette. It took several moments for Richie to realize that Bill was waiting for a cigarette. While he inspected the mark blooming underneath the hickey, Bill dug his hand into the pocket of Richie’s windbreaker to get one for himself. He lit it and waited patiently for Richie to make the connection.

“Did you--- Does Stan have this, too?”

Bill frowned and shook his head, taking another drag from the cigarette. He tapped some ash off the end of the cigarette and glanced at the door while he waited for Richie to realize.

“No.”

“Y-yes.”

“It has to be Stan.”

“I-it isn’t.”

“Well…” Richie trailed off, pulling a the crushed pack out of Bill’s hands and light his own using the end of Bill’s. The boys stared at each other before Bill sighed and took another drag once it was handed back to him.

“Well w-what?”

“I don’t know! I have spent my whole life believing this bullshit. Now I don’t know. I just… This has to be wrong. You know I don’t have any issues with that person, but we both know they aren’t who I’m supposed to be with.”

“W-what are you going to d-do?”

“Stan can’t know. Even if he doesn’t believe it, I don’t want to find out how he’d react.”

“I th-think my mom has some m-makeup. We can h-hide it.”

“You know how to use that shit?”

“K-kinda.”

* * *

 

Stan reentered the living room with a bowl of popcorn in his hands. Beverly was holding the other two and she went to sit beside Mike. On her way through she set a bowl in Eddie’s lap since he was sitting on the other side of the room and wouldn’t have access to popcorn otherwise. He mumbled a ‘thank you’ and popped a couple of pieces in his mouth. Stan surveyed the room and caught Bill and Richie heading up the stairs. “Hey! We’ll start the movie without you!” he threatened, knowing that the others wouldn’t agree to starting the movie without Bill. Richie, maybe. Not Bill, though.

“Where are they going, anyway?” he asked as he gave up his seat with Richie in favor of sitting beside Ben. The movie had gone on long enough that he knew they were toeing a dangerous line of Richie revealing the ending of the movie which would undoubtedly end with Stan hitting Richie. Ben tended to stay quiet during the movies so maybe Bill or Eddie could deal with Richie’s incessant talking for the last half. Stan only had a number of ways he could attempt to shut Richie up before it lost it’s cuteness and became downright annoying.

“I’m not sure. Bill insisted that they take a smoke break.”

“Without me? That fucker owes me at least a pack of cigarettes.” Beverly piped up before throwing another piece of popcorn into Mike’s mouth.

“Which one?” Ben was now looking at Beverly. Stan bit his cheek to keep from demanding Ben keep his attention on him.

“Richie, obviously.”

“Maybe it’s better that he doesn’t give it to you. I want you to still be able to breathe in twenty years.” Eddie piped up from the corner only to have Beverly throw some popcorn his way.

“Okay, well they can’t smoke upstairs.” Stan commented, glancing at the staircase that his best friend and boyfriend had just gone up. Only to see them coming back into the room.

“We’re not! Why are you sitting over there, Stanley? Is it that hard for you to keep your hands to yourself when we sit together?”


	4. please don't say you love me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> richie thinks stan is going to break up with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to make this one a little cuter, but it's setting up for some angst later on. just so you know, all the chapter titles are going to be song titles so please check out the songs! let me know what you think and please leave suggestions !!

The boys always seemed to find themselves in one of their rooms. The movie night that went on over the weekend had come and gone. Stan found out about the soulmark when they were all laying down to go to sleep and he saw the covered hickey. It raised some questions and he quickly pulled Richie into the kitchen where he wiped the makeup away and saw the mark on his collarbone. A silence had fallen over them and Stan stared at it for a while. While Richie waited for his boyfriend to speak, his anxiety grew exponentially. He knew that Stan said he didn’t believe in soulmates, but what if this was a breaking point for him? Richie didn’t want to think about this being the end of his still new relationship with Stan.

 

“Someone else has that mark.”

 

“I don’t love them.”

 

“Don’t say you love me.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in soulmarks.”

 

“I don’t, but you do.”

 

Before Richie could say anything else, Stan was pulling him back to Bill’s room. He hadn’t said anything else that night and instead he wrapped his arms tightly around Richie. They stayed like that all night long and, despite his anxiety, it was the best night’s sleep that Richie ever had. When he woke up, Stan was still asleep with his head on Richie’s chest. The taller boy played with Stan’s hair and smiled to himself. Even if he wasn’t Richie’s soulmate, Richie knew that Stan would play an important role in his life.

 

* * *

 

Since the sleepover, Stan had been telling Richie that he was busy and couldn’t hang out. Richie tried his best not to read into it, but by the time that the weekend rolled around he was a nervous mess. They hadn’t talked about the soulmark since that night and Richie couldn’t help but wonder if this was Stan’s way of breaking up with him. Whenever the thought crossed Richie’s mind he would dismiss it and insist that Stan would have enough gall to actually dump him instead of being distant until their relationship fizzled out. Still, Richie tended to linger near the phone in case it rang with Stan on the other end. 

 

Friday night came and at about eight Richie gave in and decided to do his homework. Typically he put it off until the class before and miraculously he was still passing all of his classes. Eddie always got mad at him for this because while he studied everything at least a week in advance, his GPA was still a few points behind Richie’s. Just as Richie was reading his assignment, the house phone rang on the wall beside Richie. He nearly jumped up, letting his book fall to the floor as he took the phone off the hook and held it to his ear.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Richie, come over.”

 

“See, I thought you were ghosting me, Stan.”

 

“Just come over, okay?”

 

“Somebody’s eager.”

 

“I’m hanging up.”

Instead of trying to say anything else, Richie put the phone back on the wall after hearing the click. Stan was either planning on dumping him or something big. Or, Richie was hoping for the later. There could be a multitude of reasons as to why Stan insisted that Richie come over rather than explaining anything on the phone or feeding into Richie’s banter. Rather than dwelling on it the boy put his things together so that his mother wouldn’t put them in some place that they’d both forget. On his way out, Richie grabbed a jacket and pulled it tight around himself before biking to Stan’s house.

 

While Richie was biking, Stan kept glancing at his collarbone. He had stolen some of his mother’s makeup and spent the entire day with Richie’s soulmate in an attempt to make sure he got this right. Stan had spent about an hour staring in the mirror as he used to liquid eyeliner to make sure that he got the mark just right. After that he used some more of his mother’s makeup to make sure it looked natural and that it would stay until Richie left. Once he was done, he pulled his shirt back on, but made sure that the mark was visible with his shirt hanging off one shoulder just enough to show it off. The appearance wasn’t something that Stan enjoyed and he was itching to straighten his shirt, but this was for Richie so he let it be.

 

Knocking wasn’t a thing that Richie did anymore, instead he let himself into the Uris house and waved to Stan’s parents when they gave Richie a disapproving look. They had no problem with the boy, but they always wished that he would have the manners that they instilled in their son. He waved to them before heading up to Stanley’s room. “I hope you have all your clothes on, your parents are already unhappy with me. I think your mom is mad that I didn’t call after last night.” he whisper-yelled as he knocked on Stan’s door. Stan rolled his eyes and opened the door, looking Richie up and down as he pulled him into his room.

 

“Sometimes I regret trying to play with you in elementary school.”

 

“I should be the one saying that. You threw sand at me.”

 

“You were annoying.”

 

“I was-- What’s that?”

 

A small smile crossed Stan’s face as Richie moved closer, tugging at Stan’s shirt to get a better look at the soulmark. He couldn’t see Richie’s face but he could only imagine what it looked like. As badly as Stan wanted to pull away to see Richie’s face, he let Richie inspect. It seemed to silence the dark haired boy for several moments and Stan suddenly wondered what was going through his mind. 

 

“I think you got a good enough look at it.”

 

“I just-- I don’t get it.”

 

“What is there to get?”

 

“Someone else has this mark. We both know that--”

 

“So what? I have it, too.”

 

“Well, what does it mean?”

 

“What do you want it to mean?”

 

“I want it to mean that we’re soulmates.”

 

“Then that’s what it means.”

 

Richie opened his mouth to say something else, but Stan’s mouth was on his. It seemed like whenever Richie was about to say  _ that,  _ Stan was kissing him. Almost as if he was trapping the words before they could ever make it out. With Stan always kissing him, Richie rarely thought about it and by the time it was over, he forgot that he was even going to say it. As soon as Richie wrapped his arms around Stan, he moved to fix his shirt. Stan found it impossible to focus on kissing Richie with his shirt hanging off his shoulder. It felt so wrong like that. He backed Richie up to his bed and pushed Richie down. The kiss broke when Stan climbed into the bed and laid down beside Richie.

 

“Does this mean that that person is our soulmate, too? Are all three of us soulmates?”

 

“Is that what you want?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Let’s not tell them, yet, then.”


	5. bad liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stan gets caught in a lie and richie gets caught in a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is going to be a bit angsty so beware !! please tell me what you think and send me messages to let me know where you want this to go!! talk to me on tumblr @ dadsharrington

 

“Why don’t you ever let me talk?”

“All you ever do is talk!”

“That isn’t fucking true, Stanley.”

“Yeah? When was the last time you shut up for more than five minutes?”

“I don’t-- The doesn’t fucking matter.”

“You’re the one saying that it isn’t true.”

“Because it isn’t! All you fucking do is lie!”

The fake soulmark had worked for about a week. Richie realized it was fake when he was leaving a hickey on Stan’s neck and he got careless. So caught up in the moment, Stan had forgotten about it and Richie had smeared it away. The boy quickly pulled away and shoved Stan, unable to believe that he was lied to like this. Currently Stan was seated on the bed with messy hair and an unbuttoned shirt while Richie stood by the door with a defeated look on his face.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because you believe this shit!”

“That’s all it is to you? Shit?”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Yes! You know how much I care about this.”

“You don’t need someone to complete you. It’s bullshit.”

“You’re bullshit.”

“Do you really need a mark to tell you if you should be with someone?”

“I don’t want to be here right now.”

“So what? Is that it? A mark is the end of all of this? You don’t love--”

“I don’t love you.”

With that Richie left Stan’s room. It wasn’t that Stan loved Richie. He wasn’t sure what he felt for the other boy, but watching him leave crushed Stan. The boy groaned and got up to fix himself in the bathroom. Quickly, he scrubbed the fake soulmark off his skin so much that he started to bleed. Once it was gone, he fixed his hair and his shirt. It wasn’t until everything was back in order that Stan broke down. He muffled his cries by turning on the shower, hoping that maybe if he washed Richie from his skin he’d feel better. The last thing Stan needed was his mother coming to try and find out why he was crying. After Stan showered, he changed the sheets on his bed in an attempt to rid his room of anything Richie related.

* * *

 

Mike wasn’t expecting any visitors, but here Richie was on his doorstep. He looked the other up and down with a bit of confusion, but let Richie into his house anyway. His mother saw the guest and asked Richie if he was hungry to which the boy shook his head. Not only was it weird that Richie wasn’t talking, but it also struck Mike as weird that the boy hadn’t jumped on the offer of food. It seemed like nothing could ever fill him. On top of all of that, Mike thought it was bizarre that Richie looked messier than usual. If he looked closely enough he could see tearstains on the other’s face and he wondered if he should ask.

“Did you finish your chores today?”

“I still have to cut wood for the woodstove.”

“Do you need help?”

“I never turn down help, Rich.”

With that Mike led the way out of his house and to the yard. There were logs stacked beside the shed and together the boys carried all that they could to the cutting block. While one cut wood, the other would carry more over. They would switch when they got tired of the job they were on. A comfortable silence fell over the pair as they worked and Mike wondered if this is how the night would go. Just as he was starting to accept that perhaps Richie didn’t want to talk about the events the lead him here, the silence was broken between the two.

“Do you have a soulmark?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“What would you do if the person you thought you loved didn’t have the same soulmark as you? What would you do if you didn’t love the person who had your soulmark?”

“I never thought about it.”

“Well, think about it.”

A new silence fell over the two and now Mike began to wonder what exactly happened. He didn’t ask, though. Instead Mike thought about the question at hand. He didn’t know who had a soulmark that matched his. It was often hidden because of it’s placement on his hip, but Mike wasn’t really searching for his soulmate yet either. He figured that they would reveal themselves when the time was right. Who was he to rush fate?

“I think I would first try to figure out what I consider love and really think about how I felt about each person.”

“I don’t know how I feel anymore. Stan lied to me. I don’t want to be with a liar, but everything feels so right when I’m with him.”

“Have you ever been with the person with your soulmark?”

“Not in that way.”

“If you and Stan are no longer together, why don’t you see how you feel with them?”

“I don’t-- I guess it’s worth a try.”

“Tell me how it goes, yeah?”

“Trust me, you’ll find out.”

Although Richie’s response was cryptic, Mike decided to let it be. As ridiculous as Richie could be, he knew that he was thinking a lot about this. Mike was confident that it would all end up okay. The losers had all been through enough as is. If they could handle a child-eating clown then they could handle all of this soulmate stuff. It would all work itself out.

* * *

 

Two days after Stan and Richie broke up, Bill had another movie night. He hadn’t expected either of the boys to show, but they both seemed determined to make sure that things weren’t awkward. While Bill admired their stubborness, it was growing tiring for the rest of the losers. Eddie even begged Bill to only invite Richie because he couldn’t handle Stan’s staring or Richie’s snide comments. Bill simply responded by telling him that everyone was always invited. He was growing tired of it all, though, as well. Hopefully they’d be over it soon.

Beverly had picked the movie tonight and Bill was in the kitchen making popcorn while she queued up Bourne Legacy. Eddie was sitting in the recliner in Bill’s living room, asking Beverly why they couldn’t watch Spirited Away. She only laughed and told Eddie that he didn’t have to watch it. Eddie rolled his eyes, but Beverly promised that next time it was her turn she’d bring it. A silence fell over the two until Richie burst through the door. Eddie looked up to see him walk in, a fond smile falling onto his lips until his eyes fell on the mark on Richie’s collarbone.

He knew that Richie’s soulmark hadn’t come in, yet and deep down he knew that his own had yet to show as well. Part of him always hoped that Richie would develop a soulmark to match whatever he developed for himself. It was a hard thing for Eddie to admit to himself and it was even harder for him to admit that his stomach filled with jealousy when Richie and Stan got together. It was no easier for him to see a soulmark glaring out at him that already belonged to something else. Eddie wanted to say something, but his words failed him. Luckily, Richie was speaking before anyone else had a chance.

“Molly Ringwald! What are you making us watch tonight?”

“Bourne Legacy.”

“Fucking stellar, dude.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, throwing the pillow that was in his lap on the ground as he went into the kitchen to steal some candy before Bill and Ben brought it out. He knew that whatever happened next he didn’t want to see. He also knew that the other boys wouldn’t want to see it either, so perhaps it was best to warn them.

* * *

 

“How the fuck did you burn popcorn?”

“I hit the popcorn button on the microwave.”

“Don’t you know that that feature only burns it?”

“Typically I don’t make the popcorn.”

“I see why.”

Bill sat near the skittles while Eddie and Ben argued over the popcorn. Only one package got burnt, but there was clearly something else frustrating the smaller boy. Bill thought about asking Eddie what was wrong, but he was too tired from dealing with the bickering from Stan and Richie. Maybe they all needed a break from each other.

“I’ll m-make more.”

“No, let me make it.”

* * *

 

With Richie seated beside Beverly, he waited for her to look at him. He was cracking jokes left and right and utilizing all of his voices in an attempt to get her to so much as glance at him. Eventually, he grew tired of trying to get her attention. Richie put his hands behind him on the floor and moved so he was leaning back on them. Just as he was about to give up, Beverly turned to face him and her eyes fell on his soulmark.

* * *

 

At first, Stan said he wasn’t going to come to the movie night. Being around Richie was exhausting. He had gotten so handsy with Eddie when they watched movies together and as much as Stan complained about Richie’s constant blabbering, he missed the trashmouth. He would never admit it, but he missed Richie. Still, Stan had no idea how he could fix this.

Mike had convinced him to come to the movie, though. It was while they were watching birds in Mike’s backyard. The pair was eating apples while Stan identified different birds by their songs when Mike told him that movie nights weren’t the same if all the losers weren’t there. He offered to let Stan sit with him again like they sat together last time and he agreed.

The continued watching birds until the sun started to set and Mike said they’d be late to the movie if they didn’t leave soon. Reluctantly, Stan agreed and he got up from the log. Mike had his hand out to help the other boy and when Stan grabbed his hand he could have sworn that he felt electricity. For a moment, he wondered what Stan’s soulmark was.

* * *

 

“O-okay. Does anyone k-know where Stan and M-mike are?”

“Let’s wait for them. Let’s wait in here.”

“Why do you want to wait in here, Eddie?”

“Because.”

Ben and Bill both shot Eddie a weird look before exchanging their own glances. Something was clearly going on and now Bill was certain he had to get to the bottom of it. Bill grabbed some of the bowls from the counter and Ben followed suit, ignoring Eddie’s attempts to get them to stay in the kitchen. Eddie stayed in the kitchen and he heard a bowl hit the ground, candy spilling everywhere, at the same time that he heard the front door opening.

“What are we-- What the fuck?” Stan’s voice rang through the house. Eddie ran a hand through his hair and walked out into the living room only to see what he knew was waiting for him. Richie had his hands in Beverly’s hair while she sat on his lap. Both of them had a cigarette etched into their collarbone that seemed to taunt Eddie.


	6. au revoir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> eddie and ben talk about their feelings. bev is ready to fight. bill doesn't want to lose any of his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> although the fic isn't over yet, i hope the ending surprises everyone !! also, everyone is probably going to end up kissing each other at least once in this fic! anyway please let me know what you think and check me out on tumblr @georgiesdenbrough !!

Ben was leaning against one counter while Eddie was seated on the island opposite him. They were taking turns throwing popcorn into each other’s mouths while the others shouted at each other in the other room. The pair was hurt by what they saw, but neither of them felt that yelling was right. If Beverly and Richie wanted to kiss each other, who were they to stop them? They were soulmates after all, the marks proved it. Eddie had believed in soulmates up until this point. He wasn’t sure how Ben felt about soulmates, but it was clear that the other boy was devastated to see the two kissing in the living room. **  
**

“You knew she wasn’t your soulmate. Why did it hurt you so much to see them kissing?” Eddie asked as he tossed another piece of popcorn in Ben’s direction, smiling when he caught it in his mouth.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“We both knew that Stan was drawing his soulmark. I guess I hoped that Richie did the same.”

“If he drew it, why would he draw one that matched someone else’s?”

“I didn’t say it made sense.”

“Love never seems to make sense.”

“You love her?”

“I have since we were twelve.”

“Did you ever try moving on?”

“No. Did you?”

“...No.”

Eddie’s fingertips brushed the bottom of the bowl and he frowned, glancing at the now empty bowl of popcorn. Perhaps him and Ben were destined to pine after people that were never meant to be theirs. Briefly, he wondered if the same was true for Stan. The weirdest part to Eddie was that he was content spending his lifetime pining after Richie. Even if he never got to so much as kiss the boy, he was happy being in love with Richie. He glanced at the door and flinched when he heard something hit the wall. “Wanna try and see how many skittles you can catch in your mouth?” Ben nodded and passed the bowl of candy to Eddie.

* * *

 

The vase that Beverly threw shattered on the wall beside Stan’s head and he flinched away, grabbing for Mike’s hand. Bill was standing to the side with a worried look on his face and he was being rather quiet considering everything that was happening. Mike thought that he would have stepped in by now, but he also thought that he would have stepped in as well. Yet here they were. Richie had grabbed Beverly’s arms to hold her back, but she shrugged him away and glared at everyone. The first thing that Stan had said was that Richie didn’t love her and it only went downhill from there.

“He didn’t love you, either.”

“He doesn’t have to love me. I’m not with him. I’m not his soulmate.”

A look of hurt crossed Richie’s face, but it was quickly covered by a look of shock as Beverly grabbed for something else to throw in Stan’s direction. The brunet flinched, but Richie had his hands over Beverly’s and she was back to glaring at everyone else in the room. Mike had a protective arm around Stan and he was about to pull the smaller boy out of the room and say that maybe they should try a movie night again after everyone calmed down, but Bill walked between the two and looked at his friends sternly.

“T-This is ridiculous. W-we’re all f-friends.”

“Are we?” Stan’s voice rang through and the question was enough to make Bill recoil. He found himself staring between two of the people that he loved most in the world as he thought about the question. They had all been friends for so long, how could this change anything? With a sigh, Bill straightened up and nodded.

“We’re a-all friends. This i-isn’t going to r-ruin us. P-please, Stanley.”

Stan stared at the scene in front of him, pausing to really take it all in. The anger on Bev’s face softened under Richie’s touch which caused an ache in his chest. Richie was holding her hands and he just seemed lost and scared. Their matching soulmarks seemed to mock Stanley. It hurt to stare at that so he moved to Bill, taking in the other boy’s full appearance. Something about Bill always struck Stan with a deep, unidentifiable feeling. He was the glue that held them all together, but maybe that part of their lives was over. Now he glanced at Mike and decided to focus on the touch from the other male. The touch sent a small electric feeling under his skin and Stan found himself relaxing into it, or wanting to. He ran a hand through his perfect curls and sighed. “I’m leaving.” With that, he turned on his heel and exited through the door he had just entered. Mike opened his mouth to speak, but Bill simply nodded and he followed the boy.

* * *

 

“Did someone just leave?”

“I’m scared to check.”

“Are you scared it’s Richie?”

“I’m scared that whoever left won’t be coming back.”

Eddie looked at the colorful candy in the bowl in his lap and sighed. It didn’t matter who left, he had a strong feeling that none of the losers would be meeting up all together for a long time. He planned on trying his best to see all of them, but this seemed to be a tipping point for all of them. Of course, he was hoping that they could all come back from this, but Eddie found himself uncertain if they could. Soulmates were a serious thing and everyone seemed to have a strong opinion on it. In fact, Eddie wasn’t sure that he had met anyone without a strong opinion on the matter. He sighed and held the bowl of candy out for Ben to take. The boy accepted it and placed it on the counter.

“Do you understand love, Ben?”

“I pretend I do.”

“Why?”

“I want to understand something.”

“I think you understand more than you realize.”

Before anything else could be shared between the two, Bill walked into the kitchen with an unreadable expression. Eddie opened his mouth to speak, but Ben beat him to the punch. “Stan left. M-Mike followed him but… I d-don’t know.” Eddie and Ben exchanged a look, but Bill didn’t seem to get what they were saying with their eyes.

“What about Richie?”

“And Beverly?”

“She was too a-angry so Richie tried to w-walk her home, but she i-insisted that she could g-go on her own.”

“I’ll go follow her.”

“G-good idea, Ben.”

With that, Ben left the room in an attempt to find and/or follow Beverly. Eddie wasn’t sure how well that would go for either of them, but he was hopeful that his friend didn’t get his heartbroken anymore. Eddie was about to announce that he was going home, but Richie walked into the kitchen and went straight for him. Eddie didn’t even have time to get off the counter before Richie was wrapping his arms around the other’s middle. “Don’t leave me, Eds.” The action and the words caught him off-guard, but Eddie found himself wrapping his arms around the other boy. At this level, they were about the same height and he started to play with Richie’s hair. “I can’t leave you. Who else would I let out all my anger on?” The darker haired boy laughed and squeezed him even tighter. Neither seemed to notice Bill grabbing a bowl of candy and leaving the kitchen as they mumbled to each other. “Even if you’re not my soulmate, I know we’re supposed to be in each other’s life.”

“Me too, Eds. Who knows, though?”


	7. drops of jupiter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bill is in for a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoy this! i wanted to make it angsty, but the fic kind of went it's own way. there's a surprise at the end! check me out on tumblr @ georgiesdenbrough

That night Richie and Eddie both spent the night at Bill’s house. It seemed like he needed some sort of reminder that everything would be okay so Eddie put aside his feelings and decided to stay with Richie. Richie, on the other hand, had no intentions of going home and was already stealing clothes from Bill that he could sleep in. Eddie had rolled his eyes when he heard Richie making jokes about getting into Bill’s pants as he pulled on the pajama pants, but didn’t comment. Since everyone left the tall boy had been flirting with both Bill and Eddie and he wondered how long it would be until Richie flirted with all of his friends.

 

They were watching an old Batman cartoon when Eddie felt the couch shift beside him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Richie inching away from him and closer to Bill who seemed oblivious to what was going on. A soft sigh blew past Eddie’s lips and he drew his knees to his chest. Lately, it felt like Richie wanted to cuddle with anyone other than him and it hurt. Eddie thought that him and Richie were inseparable, but here he was sitting on the couch alone as he heard Richie starting to press kisses to Bill’s neck. It hurt even more when he heard a breathy gasp from Bill, but nothing to stop the other boy. He reached for the remote and turned up the volume, pretending he didn’t notice his friends kissing beside him.

 

Bill knew that him and Richie weren’t soulmates, but the feeling of the other boy’s lips on his skin was more than welcomed. In all honesty, Bill had felt so starved for attention and physical touch that he’d welcome anything. His hands had settled on Richie’s hips as the other boy crawled into his lap and he hardly noticed Eddie turning up the volume on the television. It wasn’t until he heard Richie whispering after he nipped at Bill’s neck that he was pulled from his bliss. 

 

“What the fuck is this?” Richie whispered, tugging at Bill’s collar to get a better look before he pulled away to glance at the boy underneath him. A small smile was on Richie’s face and Bill watched with confusion, staring at Richie’s swollen lips. “You have a fuckin’ soulmark, Big Bill. Or, you’re fucking with me just like Stan. If that’s the case, I’m going to fucking kill you.” Bill flinched away when Richie spoke and he pushed the curly haired boy off his lap before excusing himself to the bathroom so he could inspect what Richie was talking about. Bill had checked himself before everyone came over and once again he found that he had no soulmark. Once he got to the bathroom he took off his shirt and looked in the mirror. While Bill didn’t know what he was expecting, it definitely wasn’t what he saw.

 

 

* * *

 

“Eds you’re so pr--”

 

“Shut the fuck up, Richie.”

 

“What’s your problem?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Is your mom mad that I didn’t call, again?”

 

“I’m going to kill you with this remote.”

 

“Kinky.”

 

Richie was moving closer to Eddie now and he could see it out of the corner of his eye so he moved over on the couch until he was pinned between the arm of the couch and his best friend. He tried to duck away so he could sit on the floor, but Richie’s arms were around Eddie before he could move. “Let go of me.” Richie didn’t. Instead he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Eddie’s cheek. Richie didn’t know what was going on, but he knew he wanted to kiss as many people as possible. It felt like each friend that he kissed left him feeling a different way and the boy was trying to decipher it all. One of those feelings was the feeling of when you kissed your true love and the more he kissed, the more faith Richie lost in the soulmarks.

 

“I just want to cuddle with you.”

 

“You don’t cuddle by kissing.”

 

“I do.”

 

“Well, stop.”

 

“Eddie--”

 

“I don’t want you kissing me. You don’t feel that way about me.”

 

“Says who?”

 

“Your soulmark!”

 

“You don’t even have one. How do you know anything about soulmarks?”

 

“I--” Eddie cut himself off and shook his head. While he didn’t have a soulmark, yet, Eddie believed that he knew a fair amount about soulmarks. He had done his own research on them and looked into it to find out as much as he could about soulmates and what they meant. Part of Eddie was worried that he’d never have one so he did extensive research to find out if it was normal or not for him to not have a soulmate yet. “I’m going to bed.” he finally said, shoving Richie away as he grabbed his toiletry bag to go brush his teeth in the bathroom and take his medication.

 

Richie sat on the couch and stared as his friend walked away. He failed to notice the sunflower appearing on the smaller boy’s wrist. 

 

 

* * *

 

Stan and Mike were sitting in the barn and as much as Stan wanted to say he didn’t like it, there was something peaceful about the barn. They were sitting in some hay and Stan wondered how dirty it really was, but his thoughts were interrupted when he felt a large hand on his knee. The boy looked over at his friend and offered a weak smile before resting his head on Mike’s shoulder. “Do you believe in all of this soulmate stuff?”

 

“I wanted to.”

 

“That’s past tense.”

 

“Now I just don’t want to lose my friends.”

 

“We were all drifting apart as it was.”

 

“Don’t say that.”

 

“No one stays friends with anyone forever. If it doesn’t happen now, it’ll happen when we graduate.”

“It doesn’t have to.”

 

“You really think that we’d all still talk to each other when we’re all going to different schools?”

 

“It’s nice to pretend.”

 

“You’re setting yourself up for disappointment.”

 

“Weren’t you doing the same by being with someone who had a soulmark different from yours?”

 

“What would you do?”

 

“I don’t know. The person I want has the same one as me.”

 

Stan paused and looked at Mike with a confused expression. He thought he knew what Mike’s mark was, but now that he thought about it he couldn’t remember. Nimble fingers reached for the other boy’s shirt, but Mike caught his wrist in his hand. The two shared a look before Mike leaned in and let his lips brush against Stan’s. At first he was shocked, but before Mike could pull away he had his hands on Mike’s cheek to pull him in closer.

 

* * *

 

“I just--- I want someone to love me.” Beverly was sobbing into Ben’s chest as he rubbed her back. When he went after her, Beverly had first told him to go back and insisted that she wanted to be alone. He could hear in her voice, though, that she needed a friend so he walked beside her in silence until she snapped at him. It took a total of three minutes before her anger dissolved into tears. 

 

“I know.. I know.”

 

“This isn’t fair to you, Ben. I know it isn’t.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You’ve been in love with me since we were twelve and here I am complaining that nobody loves me.”

 

“I know you don’t mean any harm with what you’re saying, Bev.”

 

“I just… want to mean something.”

 

“You mean something to all of us. The losers wouldn’t be the same without you.”

 

Beverly pulled away to look at Ben with a small frown. His words sounded genuine and she desperately wanted to believe him despite everything she felt inside. Shaky fingers brushed some stray hair out of her face and she nodded without even realizing. If Ben said she meant something, then she meant something. He wouldn’t lie to her. He loved her too much to do that.

 

“You’re special, Ben.”

 

“Baby, I believe in you.”

 

With that they both erupted into laughter. New Kids on the Block was still their thing and Ben was glad to see that the reference brought the light back to Beverly’s eyes. He was lost staring into them, thinking of all the metaphors he could make in his next poem. In fact, Ben was so caught up that he didn’t realize Beverly was leaning in until she closed her eyes and he felt her lips brush his. At first he jumped back and Beverly looked embarrassed, but Ben was quick to catch himself and lean in to kiss her hard. Neither of them would see the mark on his shoulder until later.

 

* * *

 

Bill wasn’t expecting a soulmark to ever show up on his skin. Part of him wondered if his chances at leading a happy life died with his brother. Still, he knew that Richie wouldn’t lie to him about that. Soulmarks felt like such a touchy subject as is. Instead of one soulmark staring back at him in the mirror, though, Bill found that he was staring at a body covered in soulmarks. 


	8. the one that got away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the losers find out why they have multiple soulmarks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is the last installment of the fic! the ending is not happy and i apologize for that ! trigger warning for car crashes, self harm, and death

 

“Stan, I kn--”

“Mike, look!” They pulled away from each other and Stan took Mike’s hand and flipped it over in his own smaller hands, tracing the sunflower that appeared on his wrist. “We aren’t soulmates.” he mumbled as he stared at the sunflower. Mike frowned and shook his head, pulling his hand away so that he could lift up his shirt and tug at the waistband of his pants, revealing the bird on his hip.

“That doesn’t… make any sense.” Stan mumbled, hand going over his own hip to cover his soulmark. “How do you have two? Who else is it?”

Mike watched Stan with confusion before shrugging. It didn’t make sense to him that there were two soulmarks on his body, but what confused him even more was that he saw one forming on Stan’s ankle. “You’re getting another one, too.”

“That’s impossible.”

“You are, look!” He leaned down and tugged Stan’s sock the rest of the way down so it could reveal the pill on his skin. Stan looked at it with a confused expression and tried to rub it away as if this were some sort of prank.

“I don’t like this.” He mumbled as he began to inspect his body for other marks. He saw that the bird was still on his hip and he also found a book on his upper arm. Mike found a bike on Stan’s back and Stan found a pair of glasses on Mike’s shoulder. The two exchanged a glance before they both nodded and were walking back to Bill’s house.

* * *

 

Bill came out of the bathroom to find Richie sitting alone on the couch, watching something that he didn’t recognize. The boy didn’t seem to acknowledge his presence as Bill sat down next to him. It wasn’t until Bill started tugging at his clothes that Richie said something. “If you want me that badly Big Bill, use your words.” he mumbled, turning his head so his eyes could meet the other’s.

“I’m c-checking to see if you have a-any soulmarks.”

“Dumbass. It’s on my collarbone.”

“Any o-other ones.”

“What the fuck?”

Bill pulled away and took off his shirt, revealing the soulmarks covering his skin. Richie stared in shock and carefully reached out to trace the marks on Bill’s skin. His hand stopped on the one on Bill’s collarbone that matched his own before he pulled Bill in for another kiss. It was brief because as much as Bill wanted to kiss him, he was desperate to see if anyone else had more than one soulmark. Once they were apart, Bill was tugging at Richie’s shirt and the curly haired boy shot him a suggestive look that Bill ignored before dropping the clothing on the floor.  Richie’s hands immediately fell on Bill’s skin, but the boy swatted them away and pointed at the marks on Richie’s body. Richie looked down to see the head of a bird poking out of the waist of his jeans as well as the cigarette on his collarbone. There was a sunflower on his wrist, a pair of glasses on his shoulder, and a bike on his back. Richie looked at all the marks with complete surprise and he moved away from Bill.

When Richie moved, it revealed a pill on his ankle and Bill knelt down to stare in confusion. This mark was bright red and both boys noticed how it stood out from the others. It was looked angry like a fresh wound and while Richie couldn’t figure out what it meant, Bill had a few ideas.

“Wh-where’s Eddie?”

“What do you mean ‘where’s Eddie?’ He fucking stormed off to pout. What does Eds have to do with this?”

“Are you s-seriously not g-getting this?!”

“Apparently fucking not!”

* * *

 

There was more blood than Eddie wanted to see, but any blood was more blood than he wanted to see. The boy was seated on the edge of Bill’s tub with Bill’s pocket knife in his hand. The sunflower on his wrist was bleeding. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, it was going to remain there. He didn’t want to be someone else’s soulmate. Where the sunflower would lead him was a question that Eddie didn’t want an answer to. He wanted to be Richie’s soulmate and a sunflower wasn’t going to lead him to Richie.

Surprisingly to Eddie, he wasn’t crying. His eyes were dry as he dug the knife in once more. He was so focused on trying to remove the mark that he didn’t even realize how much blood he was losing. He didn’t hear the knocking on the door or Bill’s worried shouting.

Bill continued to try the doorknob while Richie was shouting behind him. Nothing had been explained, yet. Both boys were shirtless with their marks visible to everyone as they attempted to get Eddie to unlock the door. The only reason that Bill had any theories about why Richie’s mark was changing color were related to Georgie and Georgie’s soulmate dorning a white, almost scar like mark that matched the one that had faded from Georgie’s skin.

“Bill! Answer my fucking questions you fucking twat!”

“G-georgie-- His s-soulm-- He’s d-dead!”

“Eddie’s dead?”

“I d-don’t know!”

Now Richie was pushing against the door and practically screaming. He was throwing his body against it in a futile attempt of getting it to open. His shouts seemed to pull Eddie out of his trance, though. The smaller boy looked down at where the blood had dripped off his arm and stained the white tile beneath him. A strangled cry came from him and he scrambled to his feet, watch as the bloodied knife fell into the tub. The door swung open and the two taller boys gaped at their friend before Richie tugged Eddie into his arms while Bill inspected the injury.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Eds?”

“I wanted to end up with you! I wanted your soulmark.”

“Newflash, asshole, you have more than one.”

Eddie glanced up at Richie with confusion spread across his dazed face. Both boys were about to say something, but Bill’s voice interrupted their thoughts. He was already trying to tug Eddie away from Richie and he didn’t understand. It was almost as if both boys had forgotten about the blood now spreading across the front of Richie’s horrendous shirt.

“He needs a h-hospital.”

* * *

 

Beverly and Ben were now walking hand in hand back to the Denbrough house. Beverly decided that she wanted to see the losers to apologize for her outburst and come to the bottom of whatever this soulmate thing meant for her and Richie. She wanted to know what it meant for all of them. While they were walking, Ben moved to press a kiss to the back of her hand and paused when he saw books on her ring finger. Ben checked both of his hands to see if he had the same mark in the same place and smiled when he saw that he did.

“Bev?”

“What is it?”

“You have another soulmark. Right here.”

“That doesn’t make sense. What do you think it means?”

“I think you have more than one soulmate.”

“Who would the other one be?”

Ben held up his hand for her to see the mark that matched her own. A smile spread across her face and Beverly threw her arms around him. It no longer seemed to matter if Richie loved her that way or not. She no longer cared about anything. The person who she knew to love her more than anything in the world was her soulmate. It’s what the marks meant, it’s what the universe was trying to lead her to. It all made sense and it brought peace to Beverly’s chaotic world.

The peace was short lived, though, when she saw Bill and Richie rush out of the house carrying a bleeding Eddie. Ben saw it too and he squeezed her hand before the two started to run towards their friends.

* * *

 

“Richie! Buckle your seatbelt.”

“Shut up, Eds. I’m checking your pulse.”

“You don’t even--”

“I said shut the fuck up!”

Eddie’s pulse was weak as he relaxed against the passenger seat of the car. Ben was driving while Beverly drove another car to follow the three with Bill in the passenger seat of that car. They were suddenly grateful that the two had their license, but no one thought to even comment on it.

“If Ben hits the brakes then you’re going to go through windshield.” Eddie mumbled, drowsily. His hand found Richie’s, though, and the boy squeezed it to reassure him that everything would be okay.

“I’m not going to sit and relax in the back seat while you’re up here bleeding out because you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Richie…”

“No! Stop talking. Shut up, Eds. Just be quiet and let us all help you.”

Ben was quiet as they drove, his eyes fixed on the road. As much as he wanted to tell Eddie that he loved him and that he hoped everything was going to be okay, he wasn’t sure that he could. Sure, he loved Eddie, but it felt like he was intruding on a moment if he said that. Ben also had no idea that everything would be okay. When he was a child he loved the soulmarks. The idea of someone out there being the person for him and the thought that they’d find each other based purely on a mark on their skin made his heart flutter. Now it all felt like a cruel joke.

He was speeding down the roads of Derry so fast that he didn’t see the light turn red. He slammed on the brakes and the car came to a screeching halt just before the line. Eddie weakly flung his arm out in an attempt to stop Richie but the car was suddenly full of the sound of an ear piercing snap of bone before they heard the sound of the windshield shattering. Eddie screamed and Ben thought it was over until he felt a car rearend them and he was suddenly worried about Ben and Beverly as well as the boy now splayed out in the intersection.

Why did it look like Richie was on top of someone?

* * *

 

Mike and Stan were riding their bikes back to the Denbrough house, but suddenly Stan got a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something told him to stay where he was or to even go back to Mike’s house. Still, Stan kept going. He kept going when he saw the mark on both of their ankles turn red and angry. The only thing that stopped Stan was when he saw one of the Denbrough cars in the distance. He couldn’t tell how fast they were going, but he discarded his bike and ran into the road. He was underneath a stoplight that was red and he thought that the car was going to come to a stop so he could go and investigate.

As it got closer to the line, though, Stan started to worry that it wouldn’t. Mike had shouted his name, but Stan stayed where he was. Something kept him glued to that spot as the car came to a halt. Horror crossed Stan’s face when he saw Richie coming towards him with glass in his face. Before Stan could comprehend anything he was on his back and suddenly everything was dark.

Mike shouted Stan’s name again and ran towards the intersection as he listened to Eddie’s shrieking. Everything happened so fast that he was still processing what was going on as he knelt beside the two boys. There was blood on the asphalt, but Mike couldn’t tell who it belonged to. Richie seemed to be bleeding from several spots while Stan appeared to have severe road rash on his arms and legs and he was bleeding from his head. Richie’s leg seemed to be folded at uncomfortable angles, but he opened his eyes with pure horror written across his face. His glasses were gone, but he didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything as it was.

“Who is that? I can’t fucking see! Who the fuck are you? Why does it fucking feel like I’m on top of someone?”

“You’re-- Something happened. We’re going to get help.”

“Mike? What the fuck happened? I don’t-- I can’t feel anything. Who the fuck am I on top of?”

“Stan.. You’re going to be okay.”

“Is Stan okay?”

“I don’t-- I don’t know.” Mike reached out for Richie but paused when he realized that maybe moving him would make things worse. It might make things better for Stan, but he didn’t know what that would mean for Richie.

“Where’s-- Where’s Eddie?”

“He’s… the one screaming.”

Richie tried desperately to move his body, but it wasn’t complying. If he thought about it there was a throbbing pain everywhere and Richie desperately wanted to give in and close his eyes, but he had to know that Eddie was okay. He blinked several times, but everything remained blurry and unfocused. “Check--” Richie cut himself off as coughs shook his body. It only brought more pain and he felt Mike’s sleeve wipe against his mouth before he continued. “Check on him.”

“I don’t want to leave you and Stan.”

“Fucking check on him.”

Mike got up hesitantly and glanced at the pair once more before he closed the distance to the car. He hadn’t even noticed the other car until now and he cringed when he saw how it was crushed against the car that Ben was driving. Mike followed the screaming to the passenger side of the red car and he frowned when it fizzled out. Once Mike could see the expression on Eddie’s face, it looked like one of dull horror. His eyes were closed and he was able to figure out why when he saw the bloodstains on the seat. Mike met Ben’s gaze and Ben got out of the car shakily.

“Is that-- Is Stan over there?”

“He’s unconscious. Or, that’s what I’m hoping it is.”

“And Richie?”

“He made me come check.”

“Tell him Eddie is okay. Don’t tell him about the broken arm or anything. Tell him Eddie is okay.”

“He could hear him screaming, Ben.”

“If he thinks Eddie isn’t okay then he’s going to panic.”

“I’m panicking.”

“So am I, but we aren’t hurt so we have to stay calm.”

“Who was behind you?”

“Bill and Bev.”

“Should we…”

“Yes.”

With that they cast one last look at Eddie and Mike glanced down at his ankle to see the tattoo of a pill. It looked duller, but it was still red and it comforted Mike to see that it was still there. He couldn’t check the others, though, as he closed in on the silver truck behind them. Beverly was slumped over the steering wheel and Bill was holding a dish towel to her temple with a worried look on his face. “B-Bev-Beverly…” They heard him mumbling as he tried to get her to open her eyes once more. This caused Ben to run towards the car and Mike was almost surprised by how fast he moved.

“Bill, what happened?” Ben had asked, leaning in through the driver’s side window to look at Beverly. Her face was pressed against the steering wheel and there was blood down the front of her dress and Ben cringed. He reached out to help, but his shaking hands fell on the door of the truck and he watched helplessly as Bill desperately tried to stop the bleeding and Ben watched. Mike seemed to be the only one who noticed the cigarette on their collarbones fading into a white scar.

Mike turned on his heel and ran to the nearest house. He had to get someone to call the cops. Someone had to help.

* * *

 

After the car accident, Eddie survived. His mother didn’t let him around the others anymore in fear of her fragile boy being hurt again. He always seemed to get hurt with the others and despite everything he lost that night, he hadn’t seen the other losers since the funerals. He missed them, but no one seemed to reach out. His soulmarks faded away and as much as Eddie wanted to know what that meant, he didn’t have the heart to look into it. Only three remained and he often kept them covered. It hurt too much to look at.

Mike started to work at the farm more. The sunflower on his wrist seemed to mock him, though, and he left the flower tending to his mother. When his parents heard about what happened, they were more than understanding. Mike’s mother tried to get him to talk a few times and sometimes he’d cry, but other times he’d tell her that he had to do his chores. His father would attempt to answer any questions that Mike had and he’d try to gently encourage his son that things would get better. It hurt to try to move past what he had lost, but it seemed that the only thing Mike could do to keep from seeing his friends sooner than the world was ready for was by clinging to that hope. Things would get better. They had to. His heart still ached when he heard birds sing. Stan would know which birds they were, but Stan wasn’t here to tell him anymore.

At first, Bill blamed himself. He wondered if anyone that came into his life was destined to die or get hurt. He went to all the funerals and he almost fought Mr. Marsh at Beverly’s funeral. There was nothing there and he wanted to know why the man couldn’t do more for his daughter. No one even spoke. Bill saw a few faces he recognized, but it seemed like no one was there to remember the girl. Ben had spoken to Bill afterwards, though, and they cried. Richie’s funeral was difficult because while his parents were distant, it was clear that they were feeling guilty for not being there more for their son. Everyone shared memories of him and it seemed like the small crowd it drew in left in tears. Eddie left flowers on the grave every day. Stan’s funeral was different and Bill sat quietly as the session was lead. None of the losers seemed to understand Jewish customs and Bill wondered if any of them would ever understand it now that Stan was gone.

Ben stopped writing when everyone left. There was nothing poetic to him about the way his marks faded away or about how three remained and seemed to taunt him from his skin. Part of him wanted to cover them up, but it felt wrong to hide from the people he was supposed to love. He tried to stay in touch with the others, but the Kaspbrak family moved away three months later. Mike would answer the phone on occasion, but it seemed like he was always too busy to meet up. Sometimes Bill and Ben would meet, but it was too painful and they could never look each other in the eyes. Ben knew that January would never be the same for him.


End file.
